Don't Give Up Hope
by Serenity05
Summary: [Full summary inside] Mimori saves a little girl during a battle between Ryuho and Kazuma. Ryuho tells her not to get attached but what about himself? Can this girl crack Ryuho's cold shell? Or will she makes things worse? RyuMim
1. Chapter 1

_Summary: Mimori and Ryuho are a little rocky due to Mimori's free will to do as she pleases. While out on a medical expedition Mimori saves a toddler during a battle between Ryuho and Kazuma. This girl strangely enough, looks as if she would be the daughter of Ryuho and Mimori. Ryuho tells Mimori not to get attached but what about himself? Can the little girl crack Ryuho's cold shell? Or will she make things even worse? Rated T for Lang._

_Ok so this is my first S-Cry-Ed story with multiple chapters! I decided to continue writing S-Cry-Ed stories out of inspiration from my reviewers who sent reviews to my other S-Cry-Ed story _"_Always_" _I hope that everyone will like this story as much as they liked my Oneshot story! If you're interested and haven't done so already, after reading this you can go and read my RyuhoMimori Oneshot story which is titled _"_Always_" _it was my very first S-Cry-Ed fic as well as my very first Oneshot so I hope you guys like it!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own S-Cry-Ed or any of the characters, but I do own a character that will appear later in the fic._

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"Don't Give Up Hope"

Chapter 1

It's been three weeks since Mimori Kiryu; the Kiryu heiress first arrived at HOLY and not one conversation she's had with Ryuho Tarien has been a pleasant one. Though she doesn't let his cold façade bring her down too much, she can't help but wonder what happened to her childhood best friend.

So here she sits, staring out a window of HOLY headquarters, with a seemingly blank expression on her face. Though she may have most of HOLY fooled, a certain blue-haired Alter user can see right through her blank expression and knows exactly what she's thinking about; or rather _who_.

"You worried about him?" a voice asked from behind the Kiryu heiress, startling her a bit.

As Mimori turned her head away from the window to see who had asked such a question she wasn't surprised to see the young blue-haired Alter user of Eternal Devote Scheris Adjani standing there waiting for a reply.

"No." Mimori said as she turned her attention back to the scenery outside of the window. "It's just strange how time changes people so much."

"You know he has his reasons." Scheris said as she took a seat next to Mimori.

"I know." Mimori agreed quietly. Once she heard no response from the blue-haired girl next to her she took that as a sign to explain. "His father told me about what happened to his mother. I know I don't completely understand what he went through, but the knowledge of her death hurt me, she was like a second mother to me and I loved her like she was my own."

Scheris sighed. "It's not the same Miss Kiryu. She _was_ his mother and she was taken from him right before his eyes. Everything Ryuho held dear was taken from him in just _one_ night. That can't be easy to get over."

"I suppose you're right, but he has a choice to either stay cold and dwell on the past or move on and-"

"Miss Kiryu, listen to what you're saying." the blue-haired Alter user said cutting her off, "If your mother was taken from you at the age of 10, right before your eyes, how would you deal with it? You wouldn't be able to just forget about something like that, _you_ would want revenge too. Deny it all you want but you know it's true."

"I know. You're right, but I can't quite grasp the fact that he's changed so much. He's the complete opposite from the boy I met 7 years ago." Mimori said with a saddened look now taking over her once blank expression.

"Well I can't help you with that one. Time changes people whether the people around them like it or not I guess." Mimori frowned. What else could Scheris have said? That may not have been what Mimori wanted to hear but it was true and she knew it.

"You know, sometimes…" Mimori hesitated, "Sometimes I feel at fault for Ryuho's cold attitude…"

Scheris just sat there, wide eyed. She was completely dumbstruck at what the Kiryu heiress had just told her. Why was she telling her something so personal? And why would she even feel at fault for something she had no control over? What was happening? Mimori and Scheris were pretty much rivalries, much like Ryuho and Kazuma. Though their fights were more on the girly side; no never punch throwing or slapping, just arguing because of Ryuho and always wanting his attention. But here they were, calmly talking to one another without fighting or threatening each other.

Surprisingly enough, neither of them minded talking about all of this. Mimori was glad she could talk to _someone_ about Ryuho and Scheris was glad to be of at least _some_ help to the Kiryu heiress. After all, Scheris knew being with Ryuho was just wishful thinking on her part and she knew it hurt to be rejected by him. But in the end, Scheris was still Scheris and she wasn't going to give up on him so easily, she was still determined to win him over before Mimori even if the attempt to do so _was_ in vain.

Finally regaining her composure the 15 year old Alter user asked, "Why…?"

Mimori let a sigh escape her lips. Did she really want to tell _Scheris_, of all people, something she's never discussed with anyone?

Then again, it's not like she can back out now right?

The Kiryu heiress sighed once more before answering, "I wasn't there for him when he needed me most, Scheris. I was told the event of his mothers' death took place not long after I left for the Mainland. If I would have never left, I could have helped him through it."

Scheris quirked and eyebrow and the ebony haired women, "So you blame yourself for his cold attitude because you weren't there to help him?" she asked purposely stating the obvious.

Mimori nodded. "Miss Kiryu, even if you were there it wouldn't have changed anything; he would have still wanted revenge." She said turning to face the ebony haired women.

"Yes but I could have helped him through everything, instead he had to go through it alone. Earlier you asked me how _I_ would deal with it… well in the first place I would want someone there to help me through it, to help take some of the pain away." Mimori said as she shifted in her seat avoiding Scheris's gaze.

Scheris frowned. "He made it through didn't he?"

"Yes but look what it did to him." the ebony haired women spoke softly, "He's not the same boy I fell in love with."

'_Fell in love with? But they were so young…_' Scheris thought. "You and Ryuho were in love?" she asked.

'…_This girl is slower than I thought. I always imagined the subject was obvious._' Mimori mused. "Yes Scheris, Ryuho and I were very much in love. When my father told me we were moving back to the Mainland I threw a fit. My father had to get help from my mother to get me in the car, I kicked and screamed saying I didn't want to leave Ryuho while I continuously tried to reach him, but it was no use. My tears and pleas didn't affect my parents enough to let me stay with him so they eventually forced me into the car and drove away. Ryuho was just as bad; his parents had to hold him back with everything they had as he tried to get to me. I remember hearing Ryuho screaming my name as my parents continued to drive farther down the road." Mimori paused as a tear silently made its way down her cheek but she quickly whipped it away. It wasn't as easy as she thought it would be to think back on that moment. The screaming and crying was still echoing in her head as she spoke again, "That day, I made a promise to myself and Ryuho that one day I would come back to the Lost Ground to see him. And here I am." She said with a small semi-watery smile.

"Wow…" Scheris murmured. "He really _has_ changed. I never thought Ryuho could even show any other emotions other than rage and hatred."

"I never thought it possible for someone to only show such fierce emotions at all times it's just unbelievable."

Scheris nodded. "Yeah come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen Ryuho smile a true smile."

"See what I mean?" Mimori asked. "How someone can go all day with out cracking the slightest smile is beyond me."

Scheris shrugged. "Same here, I can't go two hours without smiling." As if to prove her point the 15 year old cracked a huge smile.

The Kiryu heiress chuckled. It wasn't so bad talking to Scheris, she's a good listener and she in a way understands what Mimori's going through. "What surprised me the most about him when I first got here was how he wasn't even happy to see me; I had looked forward to seeing him again for 7 years… I was really hurt when he didn't even acknowledge me."

"I imagine I would feel the same way if I were you."

Mimori sighed. "I just don't see how he could have changed so much."

"Well like I said before, he has his reasons but we're going to have to continue this little chat later because the subject is on his way over and he looks pissed." Scheris said quickly glancing over to the other side of the room.

"You're kidding?" Mimori asked afraid to look. Mimori knew if Ryuho was angry it was better not to even make eye contact with him.

"Nope and he's not looking at _me_ with that pissed expression either. Well, have fun!" Scheris said with a cocky smile before getting up to leave.

'_Leave it to Scheris to bite you in the ass at the end of a conversation…_' Mimori thought bitterly as she watched the young girl retreat. '_Maybe I can escape before Ryuho gets-'_

"Miss Kiryu may I have a word with you?"

'_Damn._' She mentally scolded herself. "Sure Ryuho."

As Mimori got up to follow Ryuho to only god knows where, she had a feeling she knew what he wanted to talk about and god help her if she was right because she'd be so dead.

About two weeks prior to today Mimori had accidentally let a Native Alter out of his cell while trying to speak to him about his options. Thus letting him escape and cause all kinds of mayhem throughout HOLY and the city. If Ryuho knew it was Mimori that was the cause of his escape she'd be on the next flight home for sure.

"Miss Kiryu," Ryuho started as they came to a halt on a secluded balcony outside. "Did you not learn anything from the last medical expedition you went on?"

"I don't understand Ryuho?" Mimori said. '_At least he still doesn't know about that Native Alter._'

Ryuho narrowed his eyes as he clutched the railing of the balcony. "You're not going on that medical expedition tomorrow Miss Kiryu." He said trying really hard to contain his anger which was obvious as he spoke.

"What?" Mimori asked wide-eyed. "Ryuho, the commander said he would have Tachibana accompany me."

"You're not going Miss Kiryu; you're going to get yourself killed." Ryuho was furious; this girl just never listened to a damn thing he said!

"No I'm not, Tachi-"

"Tachibana failed to defeat MP3228 last time, what makes you think he can protect you this time?" Ryuho asked cutting her off.

"_You're _the one who got Commander Jigmar to reconsider letting him go, but now you doubt his abilities? He's been training a lot harder now, I've watched him, he's stronger now Ryuho." she said still managing to keep her cool even though she was fuming inside. Asuka Tachibana had become a close friend of Mimori's over the past few weeks and she didn't like the fact that Ryuho had just talked down on him. No matter if it was by intention or not she didn't like it.

"That doesn't mean he can defeat him Miss Kiryu, therefore he cannot ensure your safety. You're not going." Ryuho said sternly while giving her a side glance.

"I can't believe you. I'm going on that medical expedition tomorrow whether you like it or not." Mimori scowled as she began to walk away but Ryuho quickly grabbed her wrist before she could make it two feet away from him and spun her around to face him. '_Just like last time…_' Mimori thought angrily.

"You're not going." Ryuho said through clenched teeth. With every word Ryuho spoke his grasp on Mimori's wrist tightened tremendously.

"Ryuho let go of me." Mimori demanded trying to pull away but Ryuho only jerked her back towards him tightening his grasp once more.

"You don't get it! What happened on the last medical expedition you went on was nothing!" Ryuho screamed while backing her into the wall behind her.

"You're hurting me…" Mimori whimpered as his grasp got tighter.

Ryuho ignored her cries and continued to scold her, "You don't know of the dangers the Lost Ground has! Every corner you turn is basically a death trap for you!"

"Ryuho you're hurting me! Please! Let me go!" she pleaded but to no avail.

Ryuho was glaring daggers at her as he spoke again his voice like ice cutting through her veins, "You are not an Alter user, you cannot protect yourself, therefore you do not belong out there." Ryuho eyes were burning with fire as he glared at the Kiryu heiress he was scaring her more than he would have liked but he didn't notice.

"Let go of me Ryuho!" Mimori screamed as the pain in her wrist became unbearable but Ryuho didn't let go of her or loosen his grasp.

Mimori panicked he was cutting off the circulation to her wrist and she was on the verge of passing out from all the pain. She didn't know what to do so she quickly did the only thing she was capable of in such a state.

'SLAP!'

Ryuho was shocked; Mimori had slapped him with her free hand. Now he was even more pissed (if possible.) He glared at her once more but once he saw the tears streaming down her face he quickly let go of her wrist.

Ryuho just watched as the Kiryu heiress fell to her knees clutching her wrist as she continued to cry. He did feel sorry for her, he didn't mean to hurt her he just lost control but he wouldn't dare let her know that.

"If you won't listen to me then go back to the damn Mainland." Ryuho sneered before turning and walking away.

That was a hell of a slap in the face for the Kiryu heiress. First he almost breaks her wrist and doesn't even apologize then he tells her to leave? What the hell?

"Sometimes I think it's safer out there than here with you, you miserable bastard." Mimori mutter to herself as she whipped her tears away and got up making her way to her room for the night.

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Ryuho was pissed when he found out Mimori was going on another medical expedition. Once he found out he had gone straight to talk to her about it but it didn't run out as planned. He didn't mean to lose control like that he was just angry and it just happened.

After that episode Ryuho had with Mimori he knew he had to do something because Tachibana just wasn't enough. Well at least not in Ryuho's mind he wasn't. He knew Mimori wasn't going to listen to what he had said, she was too stubborn, and he knew that for a fact. She would go on the trip protection or not. That's what angered him most.

Mimori was always the idealistic, kindhearted type. It's not that Ryuho didn't like her kind-hearted side, he did, but it pissed him off every time she would treat Native Alters and criminals with as much respect as she treated him with (which was a lot.) They didn't deserve such amounts of respect in Ryuho's opinion. What Ryuho _did_ hate though was her idealistic side. People in the Lost Ground _can't_ be idealistic, if they were, they would have a slim chance at survival.

Mimori in Ryuho's opinion doesn't have what it takes to survive in the Lost Ground with out protection. If she was out there alone and Inners found out she was a princess, Heiress to the Kiryu throne, they would have a field day. That's why he hated the fact that she insisted time after time on going back out there no matter how dangerous it was.

But what could he do? It's not like he could even go to the commander and demand that she be removed from the expedition. The only way she could have even snagged a spot on the expedition is through her father and Ryuho knew there was absolutely no way the commander could keep her from going. If Mimori's father found out that Commander Jigmar kept her from going he would definitely fire him and stop funding HOLY altogether. There was only one other option…

Ryuho would have to go with her.

With that decision being made Ryuho began to make his way to the Commanders office.

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Mimori sighed as she reached her room. '_Maybe I should go back..._' she thought as her door slide open and she walked in, the door promptly shutting after her. '_Maybe Ryuho's right…maybe I should go back to the Mainland where I belong.'_

"It's not like anyone wants me here anyway." She said bitterly as she made her way to her bathroom. Maybe a nice long, hot bath will do her some good.

'_If leaving makes Ryuho happy then why not right?_' '_No!' _she mentally scolded herself, '_I won't back down just to make him happy! He's not the only reason I came here so I'm not leaving with out a fight!' _Mimori chuckled she could just imagine that, Ryuho would kick her ass in less than a minute then put her on the next plane back to the Mainland. Though that was just her imagination she knew no matter how cold Ryuho is now he would _never _hit her, he may have changed but that would go against his morals even now.

Mimori pulled off her pants and winced as she pulled off her shirt. There was already a bruise on her wrist from where Ryuho had grabbed her. Now free from distractions Mimori noticed the throbbing pain still surging through out her wrist even now. "Ryuho… what happened to you?" she questioned to no one in particular as tears began to fill her eyes once more.

Mimori quickly turned the faucet to the tub on and made her way to her kitchen. Once there she opened her freezer and grabbed an ice pack carefully placing it on her wrist as she walked back to her bathroom. She winced at the cold sensation on her bruised wrist it hurt more than she expected. '_Ryuho you don't know your own strength…_' she mused as she turned the faucet off and stuck her hand in the water to check the temperature.

"Just how I like it." She said aloud as she stripped the rest of her clothes off and got in the tub. "Tomorrows another day." She said quietly as she rested her bruised wrist on the side of the tub.

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"What brings you here Ryuho?" Commander Jigmar asked as Ryuho walked in.

"It's about the medical expedition tomorrow, Sir."

"Yes what about it?" The commander asked quirking an eyebrow at the emerald haired boy in front of his desk.

"I was wondering if maybe you could switch me to that unit. I think Scheris and Cougar can handle going out without me at least once, Sir."

"Is there a reason as to why you would like me to switch you Ryuho?"

Ryuho stiffened. He couldn't tell the commander it was because of Mimori. "Uh Tachibana is the only Alter user going with that unit, he may need some help, Sir." '_Nice save.'_

"Good point. Alright then I'll transfer you to that unit."

"Thank you Sir." That was a huge relief; Ryuho thought he would say no for a minute there.

"The medical crew is due for departure at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning." Ryuho nodded in understanding.

"Dismissed." Commander Jigmar said signaling Ryuho to leave.

Once Ryuho stepped out of the Commanders office he was met by a smiling Scheris. "Hey Ryuho," she said happily, "What were you talking to the commander about?"

"He's transferred me to the medical unit going out tomorrow." Ryuho said in a monotone as he walked past her.

"What? Why?' Scheris asked in disbelief as she followed him. Ryuho was supposed to be going out with her and Cougar tomorrow!

Ryuho's eye twitched. '_Does she always have to follow me?_' he thought angrily. "That is none of your concern."

Scheris frowned. "When will you be back?" she asked softly.

"I'm not sure but the most we'll be out there is a week."

"Oh." '_I bet it's because of Miss Kiryu! She always gets her way with him!_' she thought sourly.

Ryuho stopped walking as he turned to Scheris. "I have to get some sleep if I'm going to be up in time tomorrow. I'll see you when we get back. Goodnight Scheris." He said as he began to walk once more.

"Goodnight Ryuho." Scheris called after him.

_End of Chapter 1_

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_So how was it? Good? Bad? Ok? Please review and tell me what you think! I know it may not be the best first chapter but I hope it was a least a little interesting for you guys! Please don't forget to review k? Mk, thanks for reading and I hope you keep a look out for the next chapters I promise it'll get better! REVIEW! (08.19.06)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Ok so I had a really awesome day today, turns out I'm finally switching High Schools! Yes that's a good thing, a very good thing infact. I've been waiting 3 weeks to switch! Long story, short, I hate my home-zoned High School with a passion, so I'm switching to another High School that most of my friends from middle school go to. So yeah, I had a pretty good day today! Being in such a good mood I thought that maybe I'd update for you guys! Thank you to all of you who reviewed on the first chapter, I appreciate it a lot! This chapter is slightly shorter than the first one but I had no choice but to end it when I did. Don't forget to review after you're done with this chapter! Please and Thank you!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own S-Cry-Ed or any of the characters, but I do own a character that will appear later in the fic._

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"Don't Give Up Hope"

Chapter 2

'Beep, Beep, BEEP!'

Ryuho yawned as he reached for his alarm clock quickly turning it off. His sleep was to say the least, restless. "7:30 already?" he asked while whipping the sleep from his eyes. He had gotten at the most, 3 hours of sleep last night, if not less. Too many things were on his mind that weren't enabling him the sleep he needed.

After taking a few moments to wake up, the Ryu heir got up from his bed and made his way to the bathroom down the hall. Ryuho wasn't really a morning person, though he was use to being up at early hours he still hated it. To any other person they would think Ryuho was a morning person due to the fact that he was probably one of the very few HOLY members to awaken before 8 _everyday_, but really that was just because it was his duty and Ryuho _always_ put his job before himself.

The emerald haired teen sighed as he reached his bathroom. He walked over to the mirror; taking in his appearance he turned and walked towards his shower swiftly turning the nozzle as water shot out of the shower head above. He waited a moment before stripping off his black boxers and stepping into the warm water.

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On the other side of HOLY Mimori still lay sound asleep. That is until _her_ alarm clock went off as well. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen! Today's temp-" the ebony haired women groaned as she rolled over and lazily smacked her hand on the 'off' button atop of her alarm instantly shutting the annoying thing off. 'How someone can be so cheerful at 7:40 the morning is way beyond me.' She thought as she got up and walked over to her closet pulling it open. Having taken a bath the night before, she had no need to take a shower this morning. The Kiryu heiress grabbed one of her HOLD uniforms and set it on a chair that was placed next to her closet before taking her pajamas off and tossing them into the hamper inside her closet. She tiredly began to put her uniform on, wincing in pain only once or twice as she slipped her hand through the sleeve before heading to her bathroom.

Once there she switched on the light and grabbed her tooth brush sitting on her sink and began to brush her teeth. Today she felt like a change so once she was done brushing her teeth, she opened a drawer beneath her sink and pulled out a hair tie and some bobbing pins. She grabbed her brush and combed her long silky hair before placing it in a pony tail leaving some of her side bangs on both sides of her face. She twisted her hair around the hair tie, pinning it various times with the bobbing pins. After about 5 minutes she was done pinning her hair and looked in the mirror taking in her appearance, her hair was in a semi-high, tight bun with a small amount of her side bangs hanging on each side of her face. Mimori had to admit, she liked the change, she looked really nice with her hair up like that she wondered why she had never put it up like that more often.

Mimori looked herself over one more time in the mirror before flipping the light switch off and walking out of her bathroom back into her bedroom. After entering her bedroom she went to her closet once more, pulling out her shoes she sat in the chair next to her closet and quickly put them on. She then stood up and stole a glance at her clock which read 8:00 a.m. then made her way to her front door and began her way to the Medical Bay.

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After about 20 minutes of a nice refreshing shower Ryuho turned the water off and grabbed a white fluffy towel that was conveniently hanging on a bar outside of the shower. He quickly dried his hair then the rest of his body and stepped out of the shower wrapping the towel around his waist. He walked over to his counter and grabbed the brush that was laying there and began to comb his hair.

Once he was finished combing his hair he grabbed his toothbrush and began to brush his teeth. After finishing with that he walked back to his bedroom to his closet and opened the door. In his closet were several HOLY uniforms and few suits followed by a tuxedo. Being the Ryu heir he had to have a least one tuxedo and few suits, it was only expected of someone such as himself.

He took a HOLY uniform out of his closet and placed it on his bed before going to his dresser and grabbing a new pair of black silk boxers. He un-wrapped the towel from around his waist letting it drop to the floor before slipping on his boxers and continuing with his uniform.

Ten minutes later Ryuho was fully clothed in his HOLY uniform, currently picking up his clothing and towel and putting them in his hamper. He quickly glanced at his clock noting it was 8:10 before heading out the door.

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"Miss Minori!" a voice called from behind the ebony haired women as she turned a corner coming up to the Medical Bay. '_It's Mimori_' she mentally scolded the person full well already knowing who it was as she turned to the owner of the voice calling her. "Good morning Cougar, sleep well?" she asked with a smile.

"Why yes, my dreams were filled with a beautiful heiress how could I not sleep well?" the Alter user of Radical Good Speed asked with a grin.

"…"

"Well anyways Miss Minori," Cougar said breaking the silence, "I was wondering if maybe you'd like to join me later this evening for dinner." he said with hopeful eyes.

Mimori frowned. "I'm sorry Cougar, but I'm part of the medical crew going out to the Lost Ground today…"

"Oh… that's too bad…" said Cougar, "Maybe some other time?"

Mimori smiled. "Yeah, maybe some other time. Right now I have to get going, I'm suppose to be there early to help pack."

"Alright then! See you when you get back Miss Minori!" he said quickly waving her off not wanting her to be late.

Mimori nodded. "Bye Cougar."

Cougar smiled as the Kiryu heiress walked away. '_Is it just me or does she look even more beautiful today?_' he question himself before turning and going on his way.

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"No not over there! Put those medical supplies in the back!" Ryuho heard someone say as he approached the Medical Bay. People were busily stacking boxes and packing them into the truck to even notice his presence. He continued to make his way through the mess of people when he spotted Asuka Tachibana helping order the boxes and telling people where to put them.

"Good morning, Tachibana." He said as he approached the purple haired boy.

"Oh, hey Ryuho, what are you doing here?" Asuka questioned with a raised eyebrow and a curious expression.

"Commander Jigmar transferred me to this unit." Ryuho said simply.

"Really? So you're going out with the medical unit as well?" he questioned.

Ryuho nodded. "Has Miss Kiryu arrived yet?"

Asuka shrugged. "Not that I know of, but she could be around back."

"Alright thanks." Ryuho said as he made his way around back.

Sure enough once Ryuho reached the back he saw Mimori packing boxes into the back of the truck. He almost didn't recognize her at first, he had never seen her hair any other way but down. He stopped a few feet away from the truck; the Kiryu heiress didn't even seem to notice.

"Damn it." The ebony haired women mumbled as she almost tripped over a box in the middle of the walk way. '_Oh yeah leave me to pack the back all by myself._' She thought bitterly.

Ryuho had to stifle a laugh as he watched her almost trip over the box and mumbled under her breath. She had yet to notice his presence so he just stood there with his arms crossed watching her continuously mumble to herself and pack the remaining boxes into the truck.

"One more box and I'm done." She said aloud as she grabbed the last box and brought it over to the back of the truck. There was barely any space left for one last box so she shoved the box in a small space that was left but the out come wasn't good.

Mimori shrieked as one of the boxes from the top of the stack came tumbling down landing right on her hand that was still trying to force the last box all the way in. Unlucky for her, the corner of the box hit her square in the wrist. Mimori didn't even bother to muffle the scream she let out.

Ryuho's eyes widened. '_Did it really hurt _that_ much?_'

Mimori's eyes were glazed over with tears. '_Just my luck right?' _she thought as she rolled her sleeve up. The bruise that was left by Ryuho was now visible and it hurt more than ever.

Ryuho was about to ask her if she was alright but seeing her wrist made him stop. '_That… that couldn't have been from that box,' _Ryuho thought._ 'What happened to her?'_

Ryuho continued to watch her as she grabbed an ice pack out of one of the coolers in the back and placed it on her swollen wrist. He saw her eyes immediately snap shut at the pain; she tossed the ice pack aside deciding she could go without it for now, it hurt too much to put anything on it at the moment it seemed. He watched as her left hand instantly shot up to the purple crystallized pendant around her neck as she mumbled something to herself. The realization of last night hit Ryuho like a ton of bricks. '_I… I did that to her…'_

Ryuho couldn't believe he had hurt her _that_ bad. Had he lost more control than he realized? Fortunately for Ryuho, Mimori had still failed to notice him. Before wasting anymore time Ryuho fled back around to the front he couldn't be there anymore the realization was too much for him. The _guilt_ was too much for him.

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"Miss Mimori," Asuka called.

"Yes Asuka?" the ebony haired female answered as she came into sight.

Asuka's mouth almost dropped when he saw her, he had always thought she was beautiful no doubt, but today she surpassed that meaning. "Miss Mimori we're about to leave so I came to get you." He replied, "How come you've been back here the whole time?"

Mimori snorted, "They decided to put me in charge of loading the back _by_ _myself_."

Asuka let out a light laugh. "Well have you finished?"

"Yeah at my expense." She said bitterly.

Asuka raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "What happened?"

The Kiryu heiress sighed. "It's not important. We should get inside before they leave us."

Asuka nodded as they both made their way around front and into the HOLY vehicle. Asuka was first to enter followed by Mimori.

"Nice of you to join us Miss Kiryu." Someone said as she stepped through the door.

Mimori stopped mid-step at hearing that voice, she knew who it was. She turned to see the last person she wanted to see right now leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "Ryu-Ryuho what are you doing here?" she asked.

"It's really none of your business Miss Kiryu, but if you must know, Commander Jigmar transferred me to this unit." He said with an impassible expression.

Mimori just stood there for a minute staring into space, motionless. The only thing that brought her out of her trace was Ryuho pushing himself off the wall and walking past her to one of the computers similar to the ones he usually operated on all of his missions.

Mimori visibly tensed as Ryuho brushed passed her and Asuka seemed to notice. "Miss Mimori, are you alright?" Asuka asked in concern.

Mimori turned her head away from him avoiding his gaze. "Yes Asuka, I'm fine."

Asuka didn't believe her but he wasn't going to pressure her to tell him, if she wanted him to know she would tell him on her own. "Alright. Well we're about to head out."

Mimori didn't reply she just made her way to one of the back rooms of the truck. She wanted to be alone. On her way she passed Ryuho eyeing him out of the corner of her eye, for a moment when Ryuho looked up they locked eyes but Mimori averted her eyes else where. '_This is going to be a long trip._' She thought as the door to one of the rooms slid open and she walked in.

_End of Chapter 2_

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_So... how was it? I know, I know, it's going a little slow but I don't want a rushed story so I'm taking my time. But no really, what did you guys think? Not as good as the first chapter or better? You know.. reviews really **are** a writers best friend, so do me a favor and yourself sense I have to have at least 5 reviews on every chapter to update, and push the review button! Ok... so I don't **have** to have 5 reviews I just want them! That's how I determine when I should start typing the next chapter. Unless of course I'm in a good mood like I am today: ) Review people! Please and Thank you! (08.25.06)_


	3. Chapter 3

_I'm so sorry for the delay. I've had a lot of school work just piling up and I needed to get all of it done before I even thought about writing another chapter. This chapter is slightly shorter than the rest but it's worth the reading. I've also been busy reading 'real' books. I highly recommend "Twilight" by Stephinie Meyer. I've been completely wrapped up in that book since I first read the back of the book. It's one of the best books I've ever read so if you get a chance, read it and you'll see what I mean. Anyhow, I hope you all like this chapter and I hope most of my readers still continue to read this story. _

_Disclaimer: No I do not own S-Cry-Ed or any of it's characters. But I do own a character that will appear later in the story._

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"Don't Give Up Hope"

Chapter 3

Asuka still had a questionable look plastered on his face even after he had watched the door slide closed after the Heiress. His head, on instinct snapped towards Ryuho who was absently staring at the monitor in front of him. Should he? '_Well, it's worth a try…'_

Clearing his throat none too loudly Asuka began to make his way to the Ryu Heir in search of answers. "Uhm… Ryuho?"

"Yes Tachibana, what is it?" Ryuho asked while still staring at the monitor in front of him, fiercely typing in numbers and codes.

Asuka figured it was better not to beat around the bush when it came to Ryuho so he just cut to the chase. "Just out of curiosity Ryuho, what happened between you and Miss Mimori? She seemed pretty tense."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the Heir replied non-too enthusiastically, "I also don't see why it is of any concern to you, Tachibana."

Asuka almost fell over when he heard that last part. What is this guy dense? Obviously he's going to ask about his friend if he assumes something is wrong. It's only concern for her well-being for Christ sake. "I was just concerned about her, that's all. She was fine until we got here… I just assumed something was wrong."

"I assure you Tachibana; I have not spoken to Miss Kiryu in anyway to upset her. Don't assume things you know nothing about."

"Ah… yes, sorry about that Ryuho. I didn't mean to accuse." The purple-haired young Alter User said apologetically. '_Well that was embarrassing… I questioned him before thinking about all the possibilities..._'

Ryuho just slightly nodded while he got up from his seat, "If you'll excuse me Tachibana, I need to have a word with Miss Kiryu."

Tachibana quirked an eyebrow at the emerald-haired teen as he made his way to the room that Mimori had entered just moments before. '_Just don't makes things worse Mr. Tairen. We all know how you can be.' _He thought to himself before taking the seat that Ryuho had left vacant.

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"Aspirin, aspirin, aspirin…" Mimori chanted to herself over and over again, looking through a variety of disorganized cabinets and drawers. "You would only _think _that since I packed all the boxes into this damned truck by _myself_, that they would at _least_ organize everything. But no, they just put things wherever there's space."

Leaning over to reach for the next cabinet door, Mimori unintentionally knocked over one of the glass test tubes that were placed hazardously on the counter top. Startled by the sudden shatter of glass against the tile floor Mimori shrieked.

Looking towards the source of disturbance the raven haired woman frowned at the fallen, now broken, test tube. Forgetting about her now splitting headache and hunt for aspirin, she slowly bent down to pick up the broken shards of glass. "Could I be anymore clumsy?" she asked herself while picking up the largest piece and placing it on the counter top. She bent to retrieve the remaining pieces but a knock at the door stopped her.

She placed her hand on the counter to pull herself up, momentarily forgetting about the glass which resulted in a not-so-good feeling in her hand. She whimpered as she felt the shard of glass slice into her palm. The world was just out to get her hand these days it seemed.

More knocking brought her back into reality. "Just a minute," she replied quickly, while scrambling to find a cloth to clean her now bleeding hand. It was starting to drip on the floor and she knew she had to stop the bleeding or at least slow it.

Spotting a small towel near one of the sinks she hastily retrieved and wet it, then placed it over her cut.

The Kiryu Heiress walked over to the door and pressed a button which made it slide open. To say the least, she wasn't expecting to see Ryuho standing on the other side.

"What brings you here, Ryuho?" she asked, unconsciously titling her head to the side in confusion.

Ryuho said nothing as he noticed the blood on the floor behind her. Noticing his distant stare over her shoulder she glanced back to see what caught his eye. She gasped. She had forgotten about the blood that dripped on the floor.

She turned back to him and shifted uneasily under his demanding gaze. "I uh- well- I was picking up a broken test tube and forgot about the piece I placed on the counter… and when I heard a knock at the door I put my hand on the counter to pull myself up… and it cut my palm. I was just about to clean it…"

Ryuho's gaze shifted to her cloth-covered hand and observed the blood starting to seep through. If she wasn't out putting herself in danger she was injuring herself in the stupidest ways possible. Damn this girl and her inability to be responsible.

"You'd better get that cleaned and bandaged Miss Kiryu." It was more like a demand rather than a suggestion.

The Heiress nodded and walked back towards the counter where the fallen test tube was. She had to clean that up first. She couldn't afford another accident. Ryuho walked into the room after her and stood patiently.

Picking up the glass first, the Heiress placed it on the counter careful to avoid the piece already there. Having not seen another cloth in the room to clean up the blood on the floor, she unwrapped the cloth from around her hand and hastily cleaned up the blood before more had a chance to fall from her sliced palm.

Walking over to the nearest sink she wet the towel trying her best to rinse off the germs she knew would be on it from the floor, then began to dab it against her palm as she pulled out the first aid kit she had ironically seen while shuffling through the drawers and cabinets.

"Alcohol… Neosporin… Gauze… Medical tape." She said mainly to herself as she pulled up her sleeve and began to clean and bandage her palm.

From where Ryuho stood he could see the gash and took note of its length. It was obvious it would take a long time to heal.

"So what did you need, Ryuho?" the raven haired Heiress asked as she wrapped the gauze around her palm, sealing it with the medical tape.

"I'm sure you already know we'll be encountering some dangerous Native Alters and-"

Mimori frowned. "And what? You want me to stay out of your way? Don't want me to jeopardize your _mission_?" Ryuho looked a bit taken aback by her sudden out burst, but she kept on. "Save it for someone who cares, _Ryuho_. I'm not here to get in the way. _I_ have a job to do also. And I'm not- I'm not here to argue with you either." She said the last part softly after noticing how she had spoken to him.

Ryuho narrowed his eyes, angry at her for speaking for him. "_Don't_ get in the way, Miss Kiryu." He sneered then harshly walked out of the room, leaving her to regret how she had sunk to his level. '_I could have been nicer…_' she thought as she watched his retreating form.

"Ryuho," she called, running after him.

He kept walking. He had a job to do.

"Ryuho!" she said with more force.

"Miss Kiryu, I have a job to do." He said icily, continuing on his way.

"_Ryuho Tarien,_ stop acting like a child. I just wanted to apologize for speaking to you that way." She scolded, hating how he could act just as he had when they were younger.

The Ryu Heir glared at his seemingly burden-like acquaintance. She had scolded him just as his mother used to when they were younger. God did he hate how she could remind him of his childhood with just a simple sentence. Something had to be done about her.

"_Miss Kiryu_, I will tell you again and for the last time, I have a job to do, stay out of my way." And with that being said he turned and walked away from the now baffled Kiryu Heiress.

Well that was beyond rude. She comes to apologize and he disrespects her for it?

"I'm starting to doubt that he is entirely sane…" she declared, walking the opposite way as he had.

_End of Chapter 3_

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So what did ya think? Good? Bad? Interesting? Flames? Tell me everything you liked to what you didn't like. Review, review, REVIEW(:_


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry for the extended wait folks. I got caught up in stuff, and well you know how it is. Thank you for waiting patiently for this chapter though, it's much appreciated. Anyway, I'll you get to reading now. Hope you enjoy it. It's the longest yet, and it was rather fun to write. Remember to review:)_

_Dedicated to: My loyal, and extremely patient reviewers. I love you all. I truly do._

_Disclaimer: No, I do not own S-Cry-Ed. If I did, I would have made more than just one season._

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"Don't Give Up Hope"

Chapter 4

Mimori made her way back to the previous room, away from the hot-headed Ryuho Tairen. She was seriously starting to doubt his sanity. Followed by her place on the Lost Ground. She sighed. Was it going to be like this for the remainder of her stay on the Lost Ground? She definitely didn't think she'd be able to handle his hot-headed attitude for that long. After all, she didn't really plan on returning to the Mainland. But that, well that she would keep to herself, god knows what would happen if Ryuho found out.

Forgetting the constant flow of worst case scenarios going on in her mind, she thought it better to make herself useful.

Wait.

Mimori frowned. "How exactly can I do that if nothings come up yet?" she asked aloud. Well there goes her master plan of shutting out her mind. '_Think, think, think…_'she prodded herself, leaning against one of the many counters. '_Well, I guess I can see if __Asuka__ needs help… with whatever he's doing._'

Mimori nodded to herself. Yep that's what she'd do to pass time. It was amazing how not one Native Alter had caused trouble yet. That, she couldn't figure out as she exited her safe haven of a room, and made her way to Asuka Tachibana.

Once she reached the main room of the HOLY convoy she saw no sign of Asuka, or anyone else for that matter. And they were… stopped?...

Mimori was confused. She gave the room a once-over. Where was everyone? They were stopped, no one but her was aboard, and nobody told her anything. What was going on? That's not like them. She was the top doctor on the unit, they_ needed_ her. Mimori scowled. "I bet it was Ryuho's idea to leave me be." She shook her head and walked over to the monitor. She studied the screen carefully… nothing was out there, or so that's what the monitor was telling her. Was there some type of glitch? If they were outside – where they just had to be, considering the empty convoy – they would come up on the scanner.

Mimori was about to hit the scanner, hoping maybe it was just frozen, but thought better of it. There's no point to risk breaking it. She would go see for herself. Never rely on a machine to do a woman's work.

She reached the door and pushed the button to open it. Nothing. It remained closed. Now the panic was starting to kick in. She repeatedly pressed the same button, while putting some of her weight on it, hoping it was just stuck. Still nothing.

"Open damn it! Open!" she screamed in frustration. Where was everyone?! "I said open!" she shouted one last time, kicking the door. To her surprise, it slid open. "What a relief." She mumbled to herself.

She took her first step out of the convoy, took in her surroundings, and froze. What she saw before her made her head spin, making her instinctively clutch the door frame to help steady her wobbling legs. It was everywhere, and she had nowhere to go. She quickly scanned the area taking everything in; it was like one big pool of blood. What happened?

Just a few minutes ago she was arguing with Ryuho. How the hell did this happen? And why wasn't she aware of it?

"Ryu-Ryuho!" she screamed not even a millisecond after her eyes landed on his body. Her heartbeat quickened rapidly as she ran towards his body. "Ryuho! Ryuho!" she cried while struggling to keep her balance as she ran. '_It's too slippery!_' she mentally screamed. Her legs didn't quite agree with her rapid pace and she finally fell. Blood splashed up from the ground and harshly hit her in the face. She felt the vomit rise up in her throat but she pushed it back down. Despite that she kept on. She had to make it to him.

By the time she reached Ryuho's body she was covered in blood. But she didn't care. "Ryuho?" she called as she kneeled next to him, shaking his still body. "Ryuho, come on! Open your eyes! Wake up!" she begged. This couldn't be the end. He was an alter user, he had to be strong! Why wouldn't he wake up?! Mimori couldn't take it. Everything was coming all at once.

"What happened here?!" she screamed heatedly.

"Ryuho," she sobbed. "Please… wake up! You can't leave me! Not like this!" she cried, clutching on to his bloody uniform.

Everyone was… everyone was dead. At least fifty bodies were surrounding the area. What the hell happened? Why was she still here? It was completely deserted. Did they go at war or something?

"Why didn't… why didn't I hear anything?" she questioned, way beyond baffled. "Something like this… something like this I would have heard, right? So why!"

Frustration. That's what she felt at the moment. Along with disbelief, sorrow, and anger. They were all there. Her emotions were running wild and she couldn't control them. How could something like this just _happen_? It didn't make sense, nothing added up. She was right there, in the convoy. How was she so unaware of something of this extent?

In the middle of her mind blowing debt she gagged at least three times in a row. The stench of blood was becoming too much for her, and every time she was to observe her surroundings she'd experience a slight black out. But she couldn't pass out now. No, she still needed to wake Ryuho.

"Ryuho," she called softly. "Please. Wake up."

But he didn't. And her frustration and fear got the better of her.

"Ryuho!" she screamed through her tears. "Wake up goddamn it! Ryuho! Wake up! Ryuho!"

As if out of instinct, or habit, her hand flew up to her chest, desperately trying to clutch onto her hope. But none was there. The pendant Ryuho had given her as a child was gone. All that was left was a thin strand of black string. Her eyes went wide as her mouth dropped open. "No." she exclaimed. "It can't be. He's not… he can't be. There's no way… no." she repeated over and over again as the tears she had desperately tried to subside came back stronger than ever..

This was denial. Once that pendant was gone, so was its creator. That's just how it was. She had depended on that pendant for too long to accept the inevitable. The pendant was gone, as was Ryuho. But she wouldn't – no_ couldn't_accept that.

She looked down at his face; she had never seen him so serene before. The thought made her want die right there with him. But she couldn't; suicide was never the answer. She would keep trying.

"Ryuho," she said firmer than before. "Ryuho, you wake up right this minute! This isn't like when we were kids, you wake up right now! This isn't a game, Ryuho Tairen!"

The raven haired teen was struggling to keep her eyes open, it was clear she was about to faint. It was only a matter of time. So with the last of what she had, she attempted to scream his name one last time. But before she knew it, the next thing she experienced was her whole world turning black as she fell into unconsciousness.

"Mimori?" she heard someone question. To her surprise, it took everything she had to open her eyes. Her face was wet, that much she knew. "A-Asuka!" she exclaimed once her vision settled.

Asuka was hovered over her with a worried expression on his face. "You were having a nightmare, Miss Mimori."

Before the Heiress could even comprehend what was happening, her eyes began to water and she found herself clutching onto the purple haired Alter User as if her life depended on it. That was one hell of a nightmare.

Asuka stiffened. This wasn't what he had been expecting. After a few seconds of uneasiness, his instincts finally kicked in and he found himself wrapping his arms around the crying Heiress, holding her tight.

"Shh…" he soothed. "It was only a dream. It's okay now, you're fine."

Mimori nodded against his chest, but she didn't let go. It felt too right and at this moment, he was the closest thing to reality she had. There was no way she was going to let something that felt so real go. No way in hell was she returning to that dream.

After a few moments of soothing words from Asuka and a dose of reality, Mimori's tears had subsided. Who knew he was so good at calming people down?

"Thank you, Asuka." She mumbled softly.

He smiled warmly at her. "It was no problem, Miss Mimori. You almost gave me a heart attack when you didn't wake up the first few times I called your name. That must have been some dream, huh?"

The raven haired teen grimaced. "You have no idea."

He nodded in understanding. From where he stood in the situation, it looked like one hell of a nightmare. Walking in on one of your companions thrashing around in their sleep isn't something he wanted to ever experience. And to think your dreams were supposed to be the only place where the real world couldn't get to you.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The chocolate eyed girl looked at her savior as if he had two heads. He quickly got his answer from just that gesture alone. No.

"Well, you weren't out for more than two hours. So far were haven't encountered any Native Alters." Mimori stiffened. Just like in her dream. "And we should be stopping sometime soon; just to make sure everything is in check. It's odd not encountering any this late in the game don't you think? So the commander ordered that we wait it out. You know in case any decide to come around this area. They won't know we're still here, they'll think we're still going north."

"Jeez this doesn't seem like much of a medical expedition anymore. I thought we were heading out to help injured people, not hunt Alters."

Asuka laughed goodheartedly. "Well Miss Mimori, I guess seeing as Ryuho is out with us, the commander sees fit to hunt. But don't worry; I doubt anything will pop up. We've gotten this far."

"Yeah. I hope so. I wanted this trip to be normal. Help people and go home. That's it. No fighting involved."

Asuka sympathized with the girl. He knew what she meant. Ryuho wasn't part of the plan. And he could never keep his hands off of that Native Alter with the lethal arm. It must be hard for her.

"So," Mimori piped up, "Do you need help with anything? I've got nothing to do and I'd rather not go back to sleep. I want to make myself useful."

"Hmm. Well, I guess you can help me organize some files I've been meaning to do. But," he looked at her seriously. "You have to tell me how_ that_," he said pointing to her bandaged hand. "Happened first."

Mimori shifted under is gaze. She had long since forgotten about her accident. The pain was still there, but she must have gotten used to it. Figures he would ask. He's just that type of guy. Either way, she caved and told him the story. He was less than pleased once he got a dose of how careless she could really be.

"Miss Mimori," Asuka said sadly as he shook his head. "You have to be more careful. You have no idea what your father would do to us if you get hurt."

Mimori guilty looked down at her hands. She didn't want to cause anyone at HOLY any problems just because she was a klutz. Asuka grabbed a hold of her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. She looked up and he smiled at her.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, lets go organize some files." He paused and winked at her. "It'll be fun."

Mimori couldn't help but laugh. Asuka was becoming her aspirin for life, or something of the sort. For some reason she found herself smiling at the thought.

"Come on," Asuka dragged out dramatically while grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room. "I'm going to take your offer while it still stands. Good thing you haven't seen how many there are yet."

Mimori raised an eyebrow. "Asuka." She said, now unenthusiastic.

He looked back at her and smiled sheepishly. "Under five hundred, but over two." He said answering her unspoken question.

Mimori glared at him. "You're lucky, I'm a good friend."

"Aren't I?" he said playfully, winking at her again. This time she found herself becoming flushed. Thank god he wasn't paying attention.

Something was amiss. Or something was definitely changing.

_End of Chapter 4_

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_Yay you're done! (: I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know, I know, it wasn't very insightful, but you'll have to deal with it. I promise the next chapter will be better. But what did you think? Was there anything you didn't like? Anything you really liked? Tell me! Leave a review and I'll give you a cookie :D (07.12.07) Hey look at that, July 12th! I've been 15 for two whole months!_


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